Unofficial cases have already been made available for the fabled iPhone 5 and those uggesting that the elusive device will boast a 4 inch screen and be noticeably thinner than the current model. The new cases would seem to validate and back a number rumors circulating for quite some time now. MacRumors.com is reporting that it has obtained what it claims are third party cases designed specifically for the iPhone 5 and measured the thickness of the case and concluded that based on the the case design, the iPhone 5 is .30 inches at its thickest point……………
Detailed measurements of the purported iPhone 5 cases being sold online suggests that the new device will have a 4-inch screen and the first claim of a radical redesign surfaced back in April, suggesting that the iPhone 5 would adopt a teardrop form factor tapering in thickness from top to bottom. By late July, a purported design document for the iPhone 5 surfaced and began to make its way to third-party case manufacturers, who apparently placed enough faith in its accuracy to begin making cases based on the design. Based on that same design document, macrumors, commissioned a set of renderings in an attempt to get an idea of what the iPhone 5 might look like and their designer took measurements of this imaginary device using the dock port as a standard measurement and also produced the document shown above. Based on that extrapolation, the iPhone 5 design should have had dimensions of 4.33″ x 2.36″, suggesting a shorter but only slightly wider design. In comparison, the iPhone 4 dimensions are 4.5″ x 2.31″. Macrumors, ordered a pair of these third-party iPhone 5 cases, confirming they are available for public sale and subjecting them to a series of measurements. While accurate measurements were difficult to achieve due to open ends and overhangs on the sides of the case, they estimate the size of the phone at approximately 4.7″ x 2.6″. Measuring the expected thickness of the device is more challenging given uncertainty about exactly how the case snaps onto it along the sides, but the device certainly appears to be below .30″ at its thickest and tapering by approximately .065″ from top to bottom. The iPhone 4‘s 3.5″ screen measures approximately 1.95″ in width within a total device width of 2.31″, leaving approximately 0.36″ for margins/bezel. Assuming a comparable margin on the iPhone 5, the device’s display would be approximately 2.24″ wide, making the display approximately 4″ on the diagonal. It seems unlikely that Apple would make the margins of the iPhone 5 screen larger than on the iPhone 4, so if this does represent the final case design, the iPhone 5’s screen would have to be at least 4″. If you believe these cases represent the final iPhone 5 design, then you also have to believe that the iPhone 5 will be much larger than the iPhone 4 and is certain to have at least a 4″ screen.
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